#MyPRJob – what are the different jobs in PR?

So (hopefully) you now know whether you want to work within an in-house organisation or in an agency (see my last blog post from #MyPRJob). The next question is: what different jobs in PR out there?

Before I started working within PR, I didn’t really know what kind of job i’d be looking for as a post-grad but after working within my agency (and with some extra research) I now know what kind of jobs I can be looking into in the future, and the kind of ones I can work my way up to.

So, without further adue here are some of the jobs you can go into in PR, and what kind of things they entail.

PR Account Executive

This is the most common job within PR and is the kind of job that most students aspire to get as a post-grad.

Account Execs manage everything to do with clients (whether that be in-house or agency). They typically look after all the PR content (so blogs, landing pages etc.), events management, social media and PR features (the stuff that goes out to the press).

There are a few different types of PR Account Executive positions…

Junior Exec

This is the classic starter role for a post-grad. Junior execs typically do the same work as Account Execs, they just don’t take on as much responsibility and are still learning as they work.

Account Exec

An Account Exec fills out the roles mentioned above, this is the most common PR role.

Senior Exec

A Senior Account Executive is the role that most people who aspire to move up the PR ladder will move towards. Senior Executives again do the same kind of things as normal Account Executives, yet they usually look after either more clients or have their own department.

Senior Account Executives may also look after the juniors and the interns within an organisation.

Copywriter

I never understood what a copywriter was until I started working at my current agency and started taking on a lot of copywriting roles earlier this year.

Copywriting is basically managing all the content related stuff to do with PR. Day to day duties typically involve writing blogs, landing pages and writing content that will be sent over to journalists (press releases, mainly.)

The Copywriters of an organisation may also look after the company’s own content and will manage most of the blog and news posts that go out that relate to the business.

SEO Copywriter

An SEO Copywriter does the above, but prominently works within the digital PR sector and when writing will also produce SEO friendly content. This is basically doing the same, but making sure that key words are included in areas of content that will be picked up by web crawlers.

This kind of content will result in clients getting better organic views to their websites and having a higher SERP (search engine result page).

Social Media Manager

A Social Media Manager (or two) is normally present in larger agencies and in in-house organisations if the PR staff’s hands are too full.

Social media is really important in modern day PR and if utilised effectively, it can be really helpful in both gaining coverage and attracting prospective consumers to a client.

It may not typically seem it, but social media can be hard work – especially if you have a lot of clients to look after. Social media includes Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and more, so handling all that can become a handful. Social Media Managers will be responsible for putting out engaging content on social media channel on the regular. They should also aim to get organisations’ higher follower counts and follow-through clicks.

A Social Media Manager is a good job for people with a keen interest in the online platforms and for recent post-grads.

Publicist

A publicist is typically the role people think of when they think of a PR professional and is very closely related to being a PR executive.

Based either an agency or on an in-house team, publicists work directly with clients to help develop and execute their brand strategy. They are also responsible for coming up with publicity campaigns and identifying the best ways for clients to promote their brands to both the press and to their customers.

Many publicists also work with celebrities to promote their personal brands and professional projects.

This is typically a role for people with experience, but is also well suited to those with creative flares and new ideas.

Managing Director

Last (but not least), more often than not those who work within PR for a long amount of time often strive to manage their very own agency or to work as the head of communications for a well established organisation.

In case you’re not aware, a Managing Director is the effectively the owner an agency and oversees all proceedings of the organisation. They will be the final point of call in securing clients, finalising events and will oversee the execution of large PR campaigns.

A Managing Director role requires a confident individual with a vast knowledge of PR, it also a people person and a natural leader. Becoming a Managing Director isn’t for everyone, but it’s certainly something that many PR-boffins would aspire to be for the high job satisfaction and the inviting paypacket.

Published by Jessica Pardoe

I am a first class, Business & PR graduate. I now work at Tecmark in Manchester as a Digital PR and Outreach executive. This is my blog where I write about all things PR and Lifestyle - thanks for sticking around to read it!
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About my blog… and myself

A quick hello

Hiya! My name’s Jessica Pardoe and this is my personal PR & lifestyle blog. I’m a 21 year old, first class graduate of Public Relations; now working as a Digital PR & Outreach Executive at Tecmark in Manchester. I also dabble with SEO and am a keen content writer and creator.